Crock Pot Ribs

Name: Crock Pot Ribs
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 480 min
Total time: 490 min
Ingredients: 2 racks baby back ribs about 3-4 lbs; ½ c. water; 1 tsp liquid smoke; ¼ c. yellow mustard; 1 c. BBQ sauce; 1 Tbsp kosher salt; 1 Tbsp brown sugar; 1 tsp garlic powder; ½ tsp dry mustard; ½ tsp cumin; ½ tsp ground ginger; 1 tsp ground black pepper; 2 Tbsp smoked paprika; 2 tsp ground oregano

5 from 4 votes

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By: Julie Evink16 Comments

Posted: 01/14/20 Updated: 10/22/21

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Tender, fall-off-the-bone pork ribs that are packed with flavor! These quick and easy, but yet delicious crock pot ribs are going to be a family favorite. You simply rub a little mustard on your ribs, season them and then place them in your slow cooker. Finish them off by broiling them in the oven for finger-licking good ribs!

PIN IT FOR LATER!

Yes, you can make tender, falling-off-the-bone pork ribs at home! And it’s super easy with your crock pot, friends, so if you’ve been a little worried about making them at home I am here to reassure you these are fool-proof way to get restaurant-quality ribs at home. I mean, how exciting is that?

This is not my first rib rodeo because my family is obsessed with them! For years, I made Baked Ribs in the oven and then I got my pressure cooker and came up with my favorite Instant Pot Ribs. Now we have this crock pot version and life is complete! You have three choices for making them and I can promise you that you’ll never order them at a restaurant again!

If you are looking at using your smoker visit our sister blog for Easy 1-2-3 Ribs on your smoker!smoke

Contents show

Easy Pork Ribs in the Crock Pot!

Whenever I make ribs for friends and family I always have a few people that ask how hard they are to make. I guess cooking them at home might seem complicated, but they aren’t!

They are easy to prep and when you cook them in your slow cooker it’s a hands-off cooking experience. You can go about your day doing all the things and meanwhile they are cooking and turning all tender and delicious. I like to pop them under the broiler just before I serve them – they get all caramelized and turn a little sticky, which I love!

How to Remove the Membrane

The first step to get them ready to cook is to remove the silver membrane. If you leave that membrane on the ribs they won’t be as tender as they could be so don’t skip this step.

Use a small knife to loosen the membrane at one end of the rack.
Once you loosen enough to grab, pull the membrane. It should peel off in one piece.
If the membrane breaks while you’re pulling it just use your knife to loosen it again.
Sometimes grabbing it with a paper towel is helpful!
Discard the membrane and you are ready for the next step!

Get Ready for the Crock Pot!

Once you’ve removed the membrane all you have to do is make the easy spice rub and prep the ribs for the crock pot!

The rub is a simple mix of spices – here’s what you need:

Salt
Brown sugar
Garlic powder
Dry mustard
Cumin
Ground ginger
Black pepper
Paprika
Oregano

Just combine them all in a small bowl. Once you’ve done that, go ahead and slather your ribs with mustard.

Rub the ribs with the spice rub and they are ready to go in the crock pot! Place each rack on their side so they are lining the inside of the crock pot. This is the best way to fit them inside. Cook them on low for eight hours or until they’re falling apart tender.

Brush and Broil the Ribs

When they are tender there’s one last easy step that takes these ribs from delicious to AMAZING. It’s this step that gives them that restaurant finish!

Carefully remove them from the crock pot. Be careful because they will be so tender they’ll want to fall apart on you! Place them on a sheet pan.
Brush them with your favorite BBQ sauce.
Place the sheet pan under the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes or until the sauce turns a little sticky and caramelized.
You can also do this step on the grill! Just place the ribs on the grill and once they’re nicely charred and sticky they’re ready – it doesn’t take long.

That’s it! Although they take a long time to cook the actual hands-on prep time is only about 10 minutes! Since they cook in the crock pot you can literally forget about them all day – although, it’s hard to forget them because they smell amazing while they’re cooking!

Side Dish Ideas

I have so many delicious side dishes that go great with ribs! Here are some of our favorite ones you have to try:

We love roasted vegetables so you might like to try my Roasted Sweet Potatoes or Roasted Cauliflower – they are both very simple to make!
For a classic side dish, you can’t go wrong with Potato Salad or Macaroni Salad!
For something a little lighter you might like my Skinny Broccoli Slaw – it’s crisp, fresh and loaded with veggies!
Make some flaky Homemade Biscuits to go with them!

How excited are you to try these Crockpot Ribs? My family goes nuts for them – I think your family will love them, too!

Meet Julie Evink

I'm here to help you win in the kitchen again! Life is Busy, Life is Crazy, but that doesn't mean you can't make your family dinner! Julie's goal is to provide you with easy, family, friendly recipes that use pantry staples. Dinnertime will be stress free again!